Mass spectrometers are powerful scientific instruments that allow for chemical and biological analyses in such a way as to determine compositions. Usually, these apparatuses are relatively massive and typically intended for use in the laboratory. Efforts however have been made in terms of compactness and portability without however giving full satisfaction.
Patent publication US2009/0090862 A1 presents in this context a mass spectrometer seeking to limit the footprint of this device. FIG. 1 of this anteriority is reproduced in FIG. 1 of the drawings. An enclosure is presented therein wherein a fluid to be analysed can be introduced by a capillary tube that opens, inside the enclosure, into an ion generator G visible on the left side of the figure. The latter forms a chamber inside of which electrons, here produced by a substantially heated filament F, are bombarded in such a way as to impact, in a certain proportion, the molecules of the fluid to be analysed. As the impacts occur, ions are therefore produced. The following steps of the method of spectrometry take advantage of the electric charge of these ions. Firstly, at the outlet of the ion generator G, the latter undergo an electromagnetic attraction by an extractor E comprising a plurality of electromagnetic lenses. Passing through the lenses, the ions are progressively oriented and accelerated.
An electromagnetic discrimination device is then configured to influence differently according to their mass the ions to a detector D at the end of the mass spectrometry analysis chain, on the right side of FIG. 1. The electromagnetic discrimination device, conjugated with the detector D, can for example assess the types of ions according to their flight time to the detector or according to their impact zone on this detector.
However, such a device does not allow for an optimum extraction of ions.
It is therefore an object of the invention to overcome at least in part the disadvantages of the current techniques.